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Honululu Islanders
Teams of the NLF Honululu Islanders If the Honululu Islanders have one thing in common with the BFL, it would be a large, almost untouchable market. There are very few teams in any sport that represent as large an area collectively as Honululu covers the state of Hawaii. Actually, it was the BFL that introduced the sport of football to the state, by building Aloha Stadium in 2002. The BFL held their annual Pro Bowl there from 2002, up until 2011, when League Commissioner Robert Lavelle decided to hold the Pro Bowl the week after the Arena Bowl, and that it would move to Miami. By then, football had grown onto the people in Hawaii, and they were sad to see it go. But, their openness and hospitality wouldn't be out of the Pro Football picture for long. So naturally, when the NLF Candidacy Poll touched down on Hawaii in late January 2013, fans were thrilled to be a contender. And by sending back a 96% approval rating, they all but guranteed themselves a team. Less than two weeks later, the announcement reached Hawaii that a team would play in the state. Fans were overjoyed football was returning, but even more that it was more than once a year now. The best part for the NLF, however, was two important gains from this: notoriety to the rest of the U.S., and this major detail, Honululu still had Aloha Stadium! It had been only two years since the Pro Bowl, but it was never destroyed. Instead, Honululu used it to host international soccer games, due to the fact that it was large enough to be converted. The next day, the team's owner was announced as Mark Gyprien. The only thing at that point, was restoring Aloha Stadium, which was complete by April of 2013. Finally, in May 2015, Honululu played their first game vs the Colorado Bandits, which they won 24-18. Honululu finished 8-7 in 2015. Entering 2016, Honululu hired HC Dennis Smith, former OC of the New Orleans VooDoo. With the #4 pick in the 2016 Draft, Honululu selected QB Jerrod Donovan out of Texas A&M. Donovan had a decent rookie season, and Honululu finished 6-9 in 2016. In 2017, Donovan finally broke out as a QB, and Honululu finished 10-5, but failed to advance. 2018 and 2019 weren't much different, as Honululu just couldn't seem to advance. 2020, however, was the year Donovan put it all together as a QB. Honululu finished 11-4 in 2020, and beat London in a record shootout, 45-42, to advance to Division III. In 2021, Donovan and Honululu finished 10-4-1, but lost the Semi-Final to Birmingham. Entering 2022, Honululu sports a much stronger roster. Is it their year? Jerrod Donovan, QB Coming out of Texas A&M, QB Jerrod Donovan was highly regarded as a boom-or-bust pick. Some coaches claimed he was too immature to play well in the pros. They claimed the NLF was a young league itself, and didn't need the "bad press" that came with Donovan. But Honululu HC Dennis Smith has dealt with a similar player in New Orleans, and felt he was the best coach to deal with any potential problems. So he took a chance and drafted Donovan with the #4 pick. Ever since, Donovan's play has ultimately determined Honululu's fate. While not always the best, Donovan has placed Honululu on his shoulders, and says he has no plans to remove them from their place. Entering his sixth season, how will Honululu play this year?